Reversing clutch mechanism.



N0. 762,109. PATEN-I'ED JUNE 7, 1904.

W. J. WRIGHT.

.REVER8ING CLUTCH MEGHANISM APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2a, 1903. RENEWEDFEB. 24. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

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REVERSING'OLUTGH MECHANISM.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1903. RENEWED FEB. 24. 1904.

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UNITED STATES Patented June '7, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JAMES WRIGHT, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR BY DIRECT ANDMESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE WRIGHT REVERSE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG,PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

REVERSING CLUTCH MECHANISM.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 762,109, dated. June7, 1904. Application filedMarch 23, 1903. Renewed February 24, 1904.Serial No. 195,112. (No model.)

To all whom zit may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JAMES WRIGHT, residing at Pittsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new andImproved Reversing Clutch Mechanism, of which the following is aspecification.

My present invention is in the nature of an improved reversing clutchmechanism adapted to be coupled with a drive-shaft of an explosive orother engine for changing the direction of movement of the belt ordriving-gear actuated by the drive power-shaft and which embodies theelements of economy and simplicity of construction, effectiveness anddurability, ease of manipulation, and general efficiency; and in itsgeneric arrangement it comprehends a special construction of tubularsleeve designed to be coupled to and form an extension of thedrive-shaft to sustain the clutch devices and the belt-pulley ordrivegears that constitute a cooperative part of the said devices.

In its more complete nature my invention includes a sleeve or tubularshaft extension having integral pockets or boxes so combined with thebody thereof whereby the complete sleeve with the pockets which areapertured to receive the friction-block shoes can be conveniently casttogether and finished up with a minimum amount of hand labor; and in itsstill more subordinate features my invention consists in certain detailsof construction and peculiar combination of parts, all of which willhereinafter be fully explained, and specilically pointed out in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my im-' proved constructionof reversing clutch mechanism. Fig. 2 is atransverse section thereof onthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken on the line 3 3of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the sleeve or tubularshaft extension, and Fig. 5 is a similar viewof one of the friction orclutch shoes hereinafter referred to.

In the practical arrangement of my invention I employ a sleeve A, oneend of which is cored out to receive the end of the engine or powershaft 1, and to which the said sleeve A is made fast by the key 2, asshown. The member A forms, as it were, a tubular extension for the shaftand is of sufficient length to substantiallysustain all of the clutch orreversing devices and the outer extremity thereof, and the entire clutchmechanism and the sleeve may be supported from the shaft 1 and requireno further bearing other than that afforded by the intermediatedrive-gear, presently referred to, when it is disposed in aperpendicular plane, as shown.

In my present arrangement of clutch mechanism the sleeve or shaftextension A comprises substantially three independent bearing portions,(designated a 6 0,) the surface portion a fitting nearly its full lengthon the shaft 1, whereby to provide a frame-support and connection withthe shaft, and the said portion a is designed to receive the combinedbelt-gear and clutch-pulley B, which has a hub b nearly the length ofthe sleeve part a to provide a long bearing for the pulley B, and thelatter, which is loosely mounted on the sleeve A, is held from lateralmotion by a collar 3 at one end, which is fixedly clamped to the sleeveA, and a set of radially-projected clutch-shoe-holding pockets, thepeculiar construction of which and their cooperative constructioncombined with the sleeve and the clutch-flanges on the reversing-gearsforming an essential part of my invention.

The outer portion 0 of the sleeve A is designed to support theclutch-gear C, and its extremity 3 is sufiiciently projected to form alubricant-receiving chamber, while the part 0 between the opposite setsof the radial shoepockets receives the slidable clutch-sleeve D,presently again referred to, and as the mechanism turns on the sleeve atthe point between the opposing gears B and O the said sleeve portion 5is thickened, as indicated by 2.

That portion of the sleeve A beyond the shaft 1 forms a convenientlubricant-holder fed from the outer open end a which end after fillingis closed by a plug-block 4:, as shown, and by reason of the severalapertures a a in the sleeve Athe oil is caused to flow freely to theouter face of the sleeve and maintain an eflicient lubrication of allthe bearing parts.

WV hen a bearing X is provided for the outer end of the sleeve a, asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the said bearing forms a stop forpreventing outward lateral thrust of the gear (J, inward lateral thrustof which is prevented by reason of the said gear engaging'with itsadjacent brake-shoe box, that forms an integral part of the sleeve A;but when the hearing m is not used a clamp-ring 6 is made fast to thesleeve, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1.

The sleeve or shaft extension A at the ends of its central portion Z) iscast or otherwise formed with integral lateral enlargements F F, whichare cored at their diametrically opposite ends to form pockets ff,projected radially with respect to the axis of the sleeve, and the saidportions have parallel side walls ff of suitable thickness (see Fig. 1)to properly guide the radially-disposed shanks-0f the clutch-shoes G,one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 5, by reference to which and toFig. 1 it will be noticed the outer ends of the shanks g merge with thesegmental shoe portions g g, whose gripping-faces are in a planeconcentric with the inner or shoe-engaged flanges b of the combineddrive pulley and gear B and a similar flange g on the inner face of thegear-wheel C, and, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1, the said flanges I) aproject inwardly toward each other over the shoe-receiving pockets andare of suflicient length to provide long bearing-surfaces forcooperating with the shoes g g.

The inner extremities of the portions 5 a merge with the annulargear-rims b a, respectively, which are of a proper pitch to mesh withthe central or idler gear H, loosely mounted on the vertical shaft it,supported in a bracket 1.

D designates a clutch-sleeve laterally shiftable on the central part bof the sleeve or shaft extension A, and it has a central annular groove(Z to receive the clutch-lever, (not shown,) of any approvedconstruction, and which may be preferably arranged as shown in mycopending application filed on even date with this application and whichincludes the general arrangement of the clutch mechanism shown in thisapplication and certain details and modifications thereof not claimed inthis application.

At the opposite ends the clutch-sleeve D has annular enlargements d d,provided at diametrically opposite points with semicircularbearing-sockets d d to accommodate the circular heads is In of theadjustable toggles or clutch-links K K, which include an adjusting-nut land coupling-blocks Z, with which the screw-shanks of the heads engage.The

' blocks Z also have shanks Z integral with the circular heads L L,arranged to engage the semicircular sockets g g in the inner face of theshoes 9.

By reason of the peculiar construction of the shoes and the pockets 7integral with the sleeve A the several partsvl. e. the sleeve A and theshoes gcan be economically made, and the necessity of providing afeather orkey device to interlock the clutch D with the sleeve A, as isusually done, is avoided, as the said sleevein my construction is merelyutilized to shift the toggles to bring the oppositely-disposedbrakeshoes alternately into a tight frictional engagement with theclutch-flanges 6" 0 the interlocking of the pulleys or gears B and Cwith the sleeve A, which is keyed to the shaft 1, being effected throughthe shoe-shank and the manner in which they engage the sleeve A.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it is believed the manner in which my clutchmechanism operates and its advantages will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art to which it apertains.

Providing pockets on the sleeve A, as described and shown, which in themanufacture of the sleeve is readily done by means of metallic cores,leaves all of the pockets alike and finished when the sleeve is cast,which greatly diminishes the cost of making the sleeve and theshoe-pockets, and by reason of the peculiar shape of the pockets theshoes can be partly made in metallic flasks, and thereby initially madein such shape as to require very little hand-finishing to properly fitthem in the pockets.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is 4 1. A reversing clutch mechanism comprising atubular sleeve adapted to be fixedly mounted on the end of a drive-shaftand having an independent bearing portion at each end and anintermediate bearing portion, a band -p ulley loosely mounted on one ofthe end bearing portions of the sleeve provided with a clutch-flange anda gear-rim, a clutchpulley mounted on the opposite bearing end of thesleeve and provided with a gear-rim facing the gear-rim on theband-pulley, an idler-gear meshing with the aforesaid gearrims, means onthe tubular sleeve for holding the band and gear pulleys from lateralmovement on the intermediate bearing-surface of the tubular sleeve,radially-movable clutchshoes carried by the tubular sleeve, and toggleconnections joiningthe said shoes and the shifting clutch member, as setforth.

2. In a reversing clutch mechanism as described, the combination with atubular sleeve adapted to be fixedly joined with a drive-shaft, acombined gear and drive pulley loosely mounted on one end thereof, aclutch-gear opposing the said. band-pulley loosely mounted purposesdescribed.

3. In a clutch mechanism as described; the combination with thedrive-shaft 1, the tubular sleeve fixedly mounted on and extended fromthe shaft, a combined clutch-drum and band-pulley loosely mounted on thesleeve at the shaft end, a gear-drum mounted on the opposite end of thesleeve, an idler-gear joining the two gear-faced drums, each of the saiddrums having a clutclrflange, pockets integrally formed with the sleeveand projected radially therefrom and arranged to engage the inner facesof the gear-drums, clutchshoes held in the said pockets and havingradial adjustment therein, said shoes including segmental flanges forengaging the clutchfianges on the drums, a shiftable clutch-adjustingmember mounted on the sleeve at a point between the shoe-pockets, andtoggle devices connecting the opposite ends of said shiftable clutchmember and the clutch-flanges of the shoes, substantially as shown anddescribed.

4. In a reversing mechanism of the character described, a tubular sleeveadapted to be fixedly'mounted on a drive-shaft having separate bearingportions, a pair of opposing gearfaced pulleys having clutch-flangesmounted on said bearing portions, said sleeve having integralradially-projected pockets, clutchshoes, each consisting of a stemradially movable in the sleeve-pockets, a segmental clutch member forcoacting with the clutch-flange of the opposing gear-faced drums, ashiftable clutch adjusting member mounted on the sleeve between theshoe-pockets, and toggle devices connecting the opposite ends of thesaid clutch members, and the clutch-flanges of the shoes, as shown anddescribed.

5. In a reversing clutch mechanism as described; a tubular sleeveadapted to be fixedly mounted on a drive-shaft, a pair of opposinggear-pulleys loosely mounted on the opposite ends of the sleeve, anidler-gear meshing with the said pulleys, radially-adjustableclutchshoes, means for connecting the shoes with the tubular sleeve andholding them from lateral movement on the said sleeve, a clutch-adjusterslidable on the tubular sleeve, the aforesaid opposing pulleys eachhaving a clutchflange to coact with the clutch-faces of the shoes, andtoggle members for connecting the slidable adjuster and the clutch-shoesfor alternately'moving said shoes into a clutching position, all beingarranged substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

6. A reversing clutch mechanism comprising a tubular sleeve adapted tobe fixedly mounted on the end of the drive-shaft, and having anindependent bearing portion at each end and an intermediate bearingportion, a band-pulley loosely mounted on one of the bearing portions ofthe sleeve and provided with a clutch-flange and a gear-rim, aclutchpulley mounted on the opposite bearing end 'of the sleeve andprovided with a gear-rim facing the gear-rim on the band-pulley, anidler-gear meshing with the aforesaid gearrims, means on the tubularsleeve for holding the band and gear pulleys from lateral movement onthe tubular sleeve, said means including projections on the intermediateportion of the sleeve, and rings secured to the extreme portions of thesleeve, radially-movable clutch-shoes and a shifting clutch membercarried by the tubular sleeve, and toggle connections joining the saidshoes and the shifting clutch member.

7. In a clutch mechanism of the character stated, the combination withthe drive-shaft 1, the tubular sleeve fixedly mounted on and extendedfrom the shaft, a combined clutchdrum and band-pulley loosely mounted onthe sleeve at the shaft end, a gear-drum mounted on the opposite end ofthe sleeve, an idlergear joining the two gear-faced drums, each of thesaid drums having a clutch-flange, pockets integrally formed with thesleeve and projected radially therefrom and arranged to engage the innerfaces of the gear-drums, clutch-shoes held in the said pockets andhaving radial adjustment therein, said shoes including segmental flangesfor engaging the clutchflanges on the drums, a shiftableclutch-adjusting member mounted on the sleeve at a point between theshoe-pockets, and toggle devices connecting the opposite ends of saidshiftable member and the clutch-flanges of the shoes, said pocketsserving to prevent lateral movement of the combined clutch-drum andband-pulley and the gear-drum toward each other, and rings removablysecured to the sleeve adjacent each drum to turn with the sleeve and toprevent lateral movement of the said drums on the sleeve away from eachother, for the purposes specified.

8. A reversing clutch mechanism comprising a tubular sleeve adapted tobe fixedly mounted at one end on the end of the driveshaft, a plug forclosing the opposite end of the sleeve to form an oil-receiving chamber,said sleeve having an independent bearing portion at each end and anintermediate hearing portion. a band-pulley having a hub loosely mountedon one of the end bearing portions of the sleeve and provided with aclutch-flange and a gear-rim, a clutch-pulley having a hub mounted onthe opposite bearing end of the sleeve and provided with a gear-rimfacing the gear-rim of the pulley, an idler-gear meshing with theopposite gear-rims, means on the tubular sleeve for preventing lateralmovement of the band and gear pulleys toward or away from each other,said means including projections on the sleeve at the juncture of theend bearing portions and the intermediate bearing portions, a pair ofrings adjustand gear pulley hubs, said projections abuting the innerends of the hubs, radially-movable elutch-shoes and a shifting clutchmember carried by the tubular sleeve, and toggle connections joining thesaid shoes and the shifting clutch member, for the purposes specified.

WVILLIAM JAMES VRIGHT. Witnesses:

EDMUND J. EVANS, O. V. BOYER.

